Igor Formiga

Right Back - Mirassol
11 Apr 2030
Thursday
Process

Marked for Igor Formiga

164 Edition

The Mirassol Courier

17 Sep 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Player ratings

Nothing got past Igor Formiga

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 44 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Squad

Igor Pato: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Mirassol have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Neto Moura in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Mirassol this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Neto Moura stands above it all

Some games turn on a moment; this one turned on a man. 7.85 on the card, and the Mirassol support went home talking about one name.

Player ratings

Nothing got past João Victor

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 16 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Squad

No hiding place for Paulo Brito

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Paulo Brito, and the manager let it.

In brief

Back issues
160 Edition

The Mirassol Courier

20 Aug 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Gabriel Menegon in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Mirassol this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Shaylon in the eights

A performance of 9.40 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Match

Mirassol get the job done against Criciuma

A 2‑1 win over Criciuma, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Player ratings

One of those days for Negueba

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.82, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

Antonio Galeano runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 19. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Rodrigues

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Player ratings

The one thing Lorran could not do

Shots: 10, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.

Squad

Edson Carioca suspended

One booking too many, and Edson Carioca sits out. Mirassol lose him for the sort of avoidable reason that makes a manager's week longer.

Squad

Cássio knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Mirassol, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

159 Edition

The Mirassol Courier

13 Aug 2029
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Balotelli: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Mirassol have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Tempers go at Mirassol

Neto Moura was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Match

Fluminense take the points off Mirassol

Beaten 1‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Player ratings

Lorran in the eights

A performance of 8.77 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Squad

Lorran is carrying Mirassol

8 goals and a season average of 7.30. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Squad

Igor Formiga gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Antonio Galeano

Successful dribbles: 17. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Market

The Negueba talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Mirassol know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Player ratings

A day to forget for Igor Formiga

Marked 5.73, and generously at that. Nothing came off, and by the end the crowd had stopped expecting it to.

In brief

154 Edition

The Mirassol Courier

9 Jul 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

A one-man rearguard from João Pedro

There were 7 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Match

Mirassol refuse to drop out of the race

Position 3, 23 points, and the result everyone checks first is now theirs. The word is still not being said around the ground, which is how you know everyone is thinking it.

Market

Chico Kim puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Mirassol, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Reinaldo signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Reinaldo commits to Mirassol for another 2 years.

Squad

Gabriel Menegon in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Mirassol this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

Shaylon sends Mirassol past Fortaleza

It finished 3‑2, and it was Shaylon’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Mirassol.

Player ratings

Shaylon in the eights

A performance of 9.33 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

One of those days for Negueba

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.18, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Squad

Igor Formiga gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

In brief

  • Market The Shaylon talk will not go away
  • Player ratings Nobody could get near Lorran
  • Player ratings Off the pace: Paulo Brito
153 Edition

The Mirassol Courier

2 Jul 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Neto Moura

Defensive actions: 37. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Market

João Pedro puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Mirassol, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

João Pedro keeps Mirassol in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 7 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Igor Formiga

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 26 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Market

Chico Kim has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Mirassol they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Reinaldo signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Reinaldo commits to Mirassol for another 2 years.

Squad

Tempers go at Mirassol

Neto Moura was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

One of those days for Willian Machado

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.03, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Match

Mirassol find a way past Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz made Mirassol work for it, but the scoreboard read 1‑0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

In brief

  • Player ratings Lorran in the eights
  • Squad Rodrigues gets it from the manager
  • Boardroom $5.8M on the table at Mirassol
150 Edition

The Mirassol Courier

11 Jun 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Gabriel Menegon

There were 8 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Squad

Neto Moura in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Mirassol this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Lorran in the eights

A performance of 8.55 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Igor Formiga

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Lorran is carrying Mirassol

6 goals and a season average of 7.24. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Match

Mirassol share the spoils with Cruzeiro

A 1‑1 draw with Cruzeiro leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

Market

Chico Kim told to find a new club

“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Chico Kim has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Mirassol.

Market

The Shaylon talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Mirassol know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Player ratings

Antonio Galeano runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 10. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

In brief

149 Edition

The Mirassol Courier

4 Jun 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Player ratings

Igor Formiga shuts the door

Defensive actions: 42, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Neto Moura

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 36 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Squad

Gabriel Menegon keeps Mirassol in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 9 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Market

João Pedro asks to leave Mirassol

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Antonio Galeano

Successful dribbles: 24. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Tempers go at Mirassol

Neto Moura was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

No hiding place for Reinaldo

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Reinaldo, and the manager let it.

Boardroom

$7.2M on the table at Mirassol

The board have answered with money instead of encouragement, which is the only answer a manager ever wants. Spending it well is now entirely his problem.

Squad

Rodrigues loses the armband

The captaincy has been taken off Rodrigues. Mirassol will call it a decision about the team; a dressing room reads it as a verdict on a man.

In brief

146 Edition

The Mirassol Courier

14 May 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Gabriel Menegon

There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Squad

Tempers go at Mirassol

Neto Moura was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

No hiding place for Negueba

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Negueba, and the manager let it.

Match

Mirassol come up short against Vasco da Gama

Vasco da Gama left with the points after a 1‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Player ratings

Lorran in the eights

A performance of 8.20 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

Antonio Galeano runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 12. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

In brief

143 Edition

The Mirassol Courier

23 Apr 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Gabriel Menegon

There were 9 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Market

Yvann Konan asks to leave Mirassol

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Squad

Emiliano Valenzuela keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Mirassol may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Squad

Neto Moura in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Mirassol this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

Mirassol find a way past Atlético Mineiro

Atlético Mineiro made Mirassol work for it, but the scoreboard read 1‑0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Edson Carioca

Marked 8.53 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Lorran

Marked 8.41 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Antonio Galeano

Successful dribbles: 17. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Neto Moura

Defensive actions: 17. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

In brief

126 Edition

The Mirassol Courier

25 Dec 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

João Pedro keeps Mirassol in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 14 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Boardroom

Pressure builds in the Mirassol boardroom

The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.

Squad

Rodrigues: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Mirassol have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

Mirassol sell Luciano Juba for $2.4M

Luciano Juba has left for Atlético Mineiro in a $2.4M deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.

Squad

Tempers go at Mirassol

João Victor was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Match

João Victor the difference as Mirassol beat Corinthians

Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: João Victor. 2‑1 against Corinthians, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.

Player ratings

João Victor in the eights

A performance of 8.51 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Negueba

Marked 8.24 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Squad

No hiding place for Victor Luís

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Victor Luís, and the manager let it.

In brief

124 Edition

The Mirassol Courier

11 Dec 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Mirassol sell Denilson for $9.5M

Denilson has left for Grêmio in a $9.5M deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.

Squad

A one-man rearguard from João Pedro

There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Market

Mirassol say no — this time

The offer from Bahia for Igor Cariús was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.

Market

Yvann Konan puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Mirassol, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Tempers go at Mirassol

Neto Moura was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Willian Machado

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 20 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Match

Lautaro Piola the difference as Mirassol beat Grêmio

Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Lautaro Piola. 1‑0 against Grêmio, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.

Squad

No hiding place for Le Keun Hyeong

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Le Keun Hyeong, and the manager let it.

Squad

Yvann Konan wants to go home

“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Mirassol know it.

In brief

106 Edition

The Mirassol Courier

7 Aug 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Willian Machado

Defensive actions: 45. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Player ratings

Neto Moura shuts the door

Defensive actions: 37, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Squad

Le Keun Hyeong says Mirassol went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad

Tempers go at Mirassol

Luciano Juba was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Igor Formiga signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Igor Formiga commits to Mirassol for another 4 years.

Match

Whatever happens, Mirassol do not lose

6 games unbeaten now. Some were earned and some were survived, but a habit is forming — and habits are the hardest thing in football to play against.

Player ratings

Nothing got past João Victor

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 21 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Player ratings

Shaylon in the eights

A performance of 9.01 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Match

Shaylon the difference as Mirassol beat Flamengo

Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Shaylon. 1‑0 against Flamengo, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.

In brief